


Like a Shattered Looking Glass

by midnightphoenix13



Category: Primeval
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5040769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightphoenix13/pseuds/midnightphoenix13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When something interferes with an anomaly while Connor is on the other side, what comes back through catches many by surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Becker shifted slightly as he stared at the locked anomaly, waiting impatiently for the three hour limit to come up. 

After the initial track and tranquilise part of the operation was over, it was time to take the incursion – a family of strange wolfish creatures from the ice age, back through. Usually this would have been a task that would have fallen to Abby or even Cutter as the more experienced civilian members of the team, but the smallest of the creatures had latched onto Connor. 

It had come running from its hiding place before anyone knew it was there and jumped into his lap as he knelt to open the anomaly again and now wouldn’t move even a foot from him. All of this led to Connor having to go through the anomaly, and an increase in the size of Becker’s headache. 

The largest of the creatures, obviously the mother, had seen them first and knocked Becker into a wall before a shot could be used to take it down. The medic had diagnosed him with a concussion and so one of his men was sent back with Connor instead of him – something he really hated. Okay, he knew his men were good at their jobs, the best even – he had chosen and trained them after all, but he always preferred it when he could watch the backs of the civilian personnel himself. This all went double for Connor, the guy was a magnet for trouble at the best of times, and Becker was happier when he could keep an eye on him. 

“It’s time, sir.” Corporal Williams, who had sidled up next to him, announced quietly, pulling him out of his thoughts and he realised he had been staring blankly towards the anomaly but not really seeing it. Becker shook his head, trying to clear it, which was definitely a bad idea wincing as the pain in his head spiked. He groaned, now feeling slightly nauseous. 

“Open it up,” Becker ordered once he felt that neither his voice nor his stomach would betray him.

The sergeant crouched by Connor’s device nodded in acknowledgement and typed in the unlock code. The anomaly seemed to burst outward as it was unsealed and Becker absently thought that the anomalies would forever be the weirdest things he had ever seen. 

A quick hand signal had his men raising their guns as a dark shape emerged from the anomaly, although once the figure was recognised as Lieutenant Burrows, the man he had sent through with Connor, fingers were eased away from the triggers and stiff postures were marginally relaxed. Burrows nodded towards Becker, the usual salute to a superior, then moved to the side allowing room for Connor to follow behind.

However, prior to anyone else coming through, the anomaly sputtered; like a candle flame blown by the wind, before it stabilised, with no differences now showing to announce that the change had occurred. 

Becker felt all his muscles tense and aimed his gun straight at the anomaly, waiting impatiently. He could hear himself muttering ‘come on, come on’ under his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. His vision focused on a dark shape in the anomaly, hoping that it would be Connor, but the shape was too large. 

He gritted his teeth as he cursed at himself, before almost swallowing his tongue as he choked, seeing Connor indeed coming through the anomaly, but with another man, one he didn’t recognise but he heard the breath Abby hissed out in shock at the sight.

Becker looked back and started to take in other details, things that were completely at odds with the Connor he knew. Although he could see that Connor had his usual large grin on his face, he was also holding a semi-automatic in one hand and had a pistol in a thigh holster. He was also wearing a variation of the BDUs his team were in, with the addition of a scarf and a hat. His free arm was wrapped around the other man’s waist, and that he had his arm around Connor’s shoulder. Propped up on the other man’s shoulder was a hunting rifle and a large knife was strapped to his thigh. The guy was whispering into Connor’s ear and it had Connor laughing brightly. 

Connor was then looking straight at him and Becker noticed Connor squeeze the man’s hip before detaching himself and moving forward. 

“H!” Connor shouted towards him happily, a bounce in his step as he came closer, and Becker’s eyes bugged out slightly in shock; no one called him H. No one even knew his first name began with the letter H except for Lester. 

A concerned look appeared on Connor’s face, and he halted a few paces away, looking back at the other man before returning his attention to Becker. The other man was surveying the rest of the anomaly team and their expressions. 

“Con,” he called out, frowning, and the young man turned his head. “Something’s not right.”

Connor took this chance to look around as well and his eyes widened as he took in Abby’s devastated expression as she stared behind him, and the suspicious looks from the soldiers also aimed in that direction. He moved backwards carefully until he was back by the other man’s side and his hands moved into position on the semi-automatic. 

It was this more than anything else that seemed to bring Abby’s voice back. 

“Stephen…” She whispered hoarsely, but in the quiet it was as if she had shouted the name.

“Abby,” The other man acknowledged, tilting his head to the side slightly as he looked at her. 

Surprisingly, it was Connor that took charge of the situation. He straightened into a close to military stance and shared a look with Stephen, before looking straight into Becker’s eyes confidently.

“Captain Becker,” He started, hesitatingly only slightly over the title. “May I suggest that we lock the anomaly and then head back to the ARC; Lester will want a briefing on the situation we seem to find ourselves in.”

“Agreed,” He turned but kept his eyes on the two, gesturing with his gun towards the ARC Humvees, “after you.”

Becker watched as the two exchanged a brief glance once more, before Connor led the way to the back of Becker’s Humvee, Stephen following closely behind. Once the door slammed shut behind them, Becker signaled to two of his men, Corporal Williams and the tech Sergeant, Johnson, to lock the anomaly and then stay behind to guard the area. He then motioned everyone else towards the cars. Abby made her way to the second vehicle with Lieutenant Burrows and the last two of his men, while Becker moved to the driver’s seat of his own vehicle, his concussion forgotten and the pain it caused pushed away to deal with later. 

When he opened the door, two sets of saddened eyes stared at him from the back seat, and he noticed vaguely that their hands were clasped and rested together between their thighs. He turned away from the sight as he twisted the key in the ignition, ignoring the quiet whimper he barely heard over the noise of the engine and the soft soothing whispers that followed.


	2. Chapter 2

Lester was currently feeling rather pleased, maybe even content. The paperwork was completed and up to date. As soon as the field team came back and the briefing was complete, he could go home and relax. No emergency codes had been called in, so the paperwork for the anomaly would be rather minimal and, although there was usually a minor injury or two, it could be put off until the morning.

A beep from his computer alerted him to the return of his team and he readily pushed himself upright from his supremely comfortable chair and strode sedately out of his office and onto the walkway. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked down over the ARC control room and towards the corridor leading from the basement parking levels. 

Although he would never admit it, he enjoyed seeing the companionship and banter between the team members as they returned from a job well done. He spotted Abby approaching the doors and moved slightly to face her, one hand finding its way into a suit pocket and the other leaning against the hand rail of the walkway. 

It was unusual though for Abby to come in on her own, Connor was often bouncing along beside her as they discussed that day’s creature, or Connor would be jabbering on about something and Abby would smile at him in amusement.

Perplexed, Lester’s attention was completely focused towards her, noticing more oddities to add to the list. Her footsteps were hurried and she was hugging herself tightly, shoulders shaking and her face looked red and blotchy. He opened his mouth, ready to speak as soon as she opened the door, but she veered off and entered the bio lab, heading straight towards the animal enclosures.

Lester frowned; seeking comfort from the animals was usually Abby’s action when someone had died. Surely he would have been notified if such an event had occurred, his frown deepened into a scowl. No one better of died or he would be having severe words with Becker. Lester fidgeted slightly and his grip tightened on the railing until his knuckles were white. 

He looked back down the corridor and could just see Becker making his way to the control room. He forced out a calming breath and relaxed his muscles, Captain Becker would explain everything. His attention was drawn to the hat on one of the figures behind the Captain; Connor. The young man had obviously decided to stay back and pester Becker about something, Lester nodded to himself; that sounded about right, but it did not explain Abby’s actions. 

Lester looked closer and noticed that Connor seemed to be wearing different clothes than he had been earlier. Thinking for a second, he decided that maybe the creature had to be killed and Connor had needed a change of clothes due to creature parts – that would explain Abby’s emotional response. Right, that must be it, what happened. Must not look surprised when Becker mentions it… Lester’s brain ground to a halt when he finally noticed the person next to Connor, walking as if they were attached at the hip – it was Stephen Hart; the dead Stephen Hart; the very dead Stephen Hart; the ripped to pieces by past and future creatures Stephen Hart. He vaguely noticed two of Becker’s team walking behind Connor and Stephen Hart, still armed with automatics, his brain seemed to be stuck on the fact that Stephen Hart was back from the dead. He checked to make sure his mouth was not hanging open, before schooling his expression into indifference as the group entered the control centre. Becker led the rest up the walkway towards him.

“Sir,” Becker stated when he halted a few metres away, “We seem to have a bit of a situation.” Lester raised an eyebrow. “It would probably be a good idea to call in Cutter for the briefing, sir.” Neither Lester nor the Captain missed the fact that both Stephen and Connor flinched when Cutter was mentioned. 

“Indeed, let’s get started then shall we.” Lester turned his back on them and headed straight back to his comfortable chair. He leaned forward and pressed the button on the intercom. “Get Cutter up here.” He watched the younger two men the entire time and again their expressions morphed when he said Cutter. 

They all waited in an awkward silence for the professor to appear.


	3. Chapter 3

Connor was mentally having a complete breakdown, only Stephen’s quiet and strong presence right next to him was letting him hold it together and not fall on the floor, sobbing hysterically. 

The day had started so well. 

The three of them had eaten breakfast together at their place after a wonderful night. They had curled up on the couch and watched movies until they had fallen asleep; the sore back had been so worth it. It made him want to smile remembering the adorable look H had when he first woke up. 

Stephen and H had gone down to the armoury once they arrived at the ARC, while Connor had headed to his lab so he could continue some work he had lying around, before joining them in the shooting range. The anomaly alert had gone off when he was just heading out of the control centre, so he changed direction towards the cars, knowing Stephen or H would pick up his gear along with theirs while he dealt with the anomaly devices. 

Once they had arrived on scene, they had split up; Becker and Stephen heading in opposite directions, each with their own team, to search the area while Connor locked the anomaly. It wasn’t long before Connor became aware of his watcher and he had coaxed the little prehistoric wolf pup out of hiding and onto his lap before Stephen returned unsuccessful, and Becker returned with a concussion and several sedated canines of differing sizes. 

After unlocking the anomaly, Connor and Stephen had gone through together, one of the other soldiers helping them heft the larger mammals across to the other side. It was a winter wonderland, and Connor wished Becker could have joined them as they fought a quick and dirty game of snowball; the little pup joining in and knocking Stephen to the ground so Connor could dump snow all over him. When the adult wolves looked to be stirring and their time was almost up, Connor said goodbye to their cute little playmate and they rushed back to the anomaly. Letting the Lieutenant go first, Connor huddled close to Stephen to share body warmth and so completely missed the spasm that ran through the anomaly behind them. 

“What would you prefer when we get home, a nice hot bath, or a nice hot Connor sandwich?” Stephen whispered against his neck. 

“I have to choose?” Connor whined. Stephen snorted; adjusting them so only one of Connor’s arms was wrapped round his waist and the other had a good grip on his gun, while his own went along Connor’s shoulder and the other had a good grip on his rifle. 

“You are so spoilt.” Stephen smiled as they made their way towards the shimmering lights of the anomaly, Connor just hummed happily. They could see Becker and the other soldiers of to the side, knowing they had reappeared in their own time, but kept their attention on each other. “What are you thinking?” Stephen asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“What I should put in my report to annoy Lester the most.” Connor chirped; a smirk appeared on Stephen’s face.

“Okay, what about ‘stopped to build an army of snowmen’, or maybe ‘I will make someone return to get me a puppy for Christmas’.” Connor burst out laughing at the suggestions, before turning his happy grin towards the waiting captain.

“H!” He called out, moving forwards after squeezing Stephen lovingly. The look that appeared on Becker’s face had him halting in his tracks, and looking to Stephen in alarm. His lover was looking around them warily.

“Con, something’s not right.” Connor looked around as well and he was shocked when his eyes fell on Abby. She hadn’t come with them to an incursion for months, preferring to stay in the bio labs and the enclosures. She was looking behind him, the same direction as the soldiers were pointing their weapons, straight at Stephen. Connor shifted direction, moving until he was back next to Stephen and made sure he had a good grip on his gun, ready to defend them both if necessary. 

“Stephen…” The name whispered from Abby’s lips was so quiet, Connor wasn’t sure if she had meant to say anything, but it was heard clearly in the silent area.

“Abby,” Stephen replied, tilting his head slightly; something Connor recognised as his partner analysing the situation or a person. Connor reacted to the threat assessment Stephen was doing and stood as he had been taught. They shared a quick look before he turned his attention to Becker. 

“Captain Becker,” His right hand trembling as he said the title. “May I suggest that we lock the anomaly and then head back to the ARC; Lester will want a briefing on the situation we seem to find ourselves in.” All Connor wanted to do now was hold onto Stephen and not let go, but he kept his cool, just as he had been taught as he waited for H, no Becker, to answer him. 

“Agreed, after you,” the captain was gesturing towards the Hummers, and after a quick glance at each other, they complied. Connor climbing gracefully into the back of the lead vehicle with Stephen sliding swiftly in beside him and slamming the door closed after. 

Connor was swept into a tight hug as soon as the door clicked shut, and he could feel how tense Stephen was at their situation. They kissed lightly, just a brush of the lips, before settling back in the seats, although their hands stayed locked together between them, both of them needing the contact.

The driver’s side door swung open and Becker was there, staring at them. Their eyes locked and when Becker broke the gaze, Connor could not stop the whimper that escaped his throat. He was glad of the noise of the engine as Stephen pulled him closer, his head now leaning on his shoulder while a strong hand rubbed along his back. The reassurances and platitudes Stephen whispered seem to help stop the trembling of his body even though he knew some of them were just nonsense. He also knew that as long as he had Stephen; the man he loved completely, he would be okay.


End file.
